Engine actuated ventilating system



Sept. 26, 1950 c. E. BLUNDELL.

ENGINE ACTUATED VENTILATING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 14, 1946 W I j W i I tor/1e Patented Sept. 26, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,523,273 I i ENGINE ACTUATED VENTILATING Charles E. Blundell, Warrington, 'F'l'a. Application October '14, 1941;, Serial No. 703,125

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and refinements in ventilating systems, more specifically, ventilating systems for mine shafts, and the like, and the principal object of the invention is to provide a novel ap-- paratus for efficiently and economically removing foul air from such mines, to insure the safety and well-being of the workers employed there- Although the invention may be employed for ventilating purposes in general and for ventilating mine shafts in particular, it is primarily intended for use in association with soft coal mines. The subterranean shafts in such mines are usually filled with explosive natural gas originating from the coal deposits, and the presence of this gas is not only detrimental to safety, but produces harmful effects upon the health of the miners.

It is, therefore, a further object of the invention not only to eliminate the above disadvantages by providing means for withdrawing the exp1o-' sive gas from the mine shaft, but also to usefully utilize the gas after it has been withdrawn.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ventilating system which is actuated by an engine already existing in the mine, and which, by this token, can be operated without additional expenditure.

- A still further object of the invention is to pro vide. a ventilating system which is simple in construction, safe and dependable in operation, and

which does not require particular attention or maintenance.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a ventilating system which is of a portable nature and which is otherwise well adapted. for the purpose for which it is intended.

With the above more important objects in view, and such other objects as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction. of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention,. thev same being partially broken away to reveal its construction, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 2-2 in Fig.--

ure l.v

Like characters of reference areused to designate like parts in the specification and through.- out the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings indetail, the invention is. shown. in association. with a soft coalmine, the sameincluding a sub1- 2 terranean mine shaft H] which is accessible from the ground surface ll through the medium of a substantially vertical air shaft 12.

-The mine, of course, usually includes a plurality'of the shafts :H), radiating at various levels and in several directions from the vertical shaft [2. However, for purposes of simplicity of illuse trat'i'on, the structure of the mine is not elaborated. upon in the accompanying drawings.

The mine equipment usually includes an in=- temal combustion engine such as the Diesel en gine l3, which is coupled to a suitable electric generator I' l and also actuates an air compressor 15 tl'l'rough the medium of suitable transmission 16. The power from the generator, I4 is employed for energizing the lights IT in the shaft l0 and the air line 18 from the compressor I5 is also available in the shaft for actuating pneumatic hammers, or the like.

The structure heretofore described is, of course, well-known in the art, and the essence of the invention resides in the provision of a hermeti c'a'lly sealed chamber l9, disposed preferably above the ground level H, as will be clearly ap-' parent from the accompanying drawings. To

facilitate strength and portability, the chamber I9 is preferably of metallic construction, and the aforementioned engine I3 is positioned in and completelyenclos'ed by the chamber.

The crankshaft 20 of the engine l3 projects outwardly from the chamber to drive the aforementioned: generator andcompressor l4 and I5 respectively, and the exhaust pipe 2| of the engine. also extends from the chamber and comchamber 19 and communicates with the atmosphere; The inlet 24 is equipped with an externa-lly' manipulable control valve 25', and the purpose thereof will be more fully hereinafter explained.

The wallof. the chamber I9 is formedwith an inwardly concaved, rupturable depression 26 and with an: outwardly convexed rupturable depression 21, the purpose thereof also being hereinafter more fully. detailed;

Finally the chamber i9 is provided: with-' a man-hole, hermetically sealed by a door 28, whereby access may be gained into the chamber for the purpose of servicing the engine I3.

Having thus described the construction of the invention, the operation thereof will now be presented.

The engine l3 will, of course, drive the generator l4 and the compressor I5 in the wellknown manner, and when the engine is in motion, considerable volume of air will be drawn thereinto through the inlet pipe 22 from the chamber l9, to support the combustion of fuel. However,

necessary.

since the chamber is hermetically sealed,'a draft of atmospheric air will be produced downwardly through the air shaft I2, through the mine shaft l0, and upwardly through the duct 23 into the While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combinachamber I9, to replace the air in the chamber which has been consumed by the engine. This continual draft or current of air is indicated by' into the atmosphere through the exhaust pipe 2l' and: it should be particularly noted that explosive natural gases originating from the' coal deposits in the shaft Hi will not only be Withdrawn from the shaft, but they will be, in effect, admixed with the current of air and delivered to the engine l3, wherein such explosive gases will be usefully utilized as asupplementary source of fuel.

Means are-also provided for controlling the rate of ventilation' The same consists of the aforementioned valve equipped auxiliary air inlet 2 which communicates with the atmosphere, as has been already explained. When the valve 25 is closed, the current of air through the duct. 23 will represent the entire source of air supply of the engine [3. However, when the valve 25 is open, the air supply of the engine will originate partially from the mine shaft and partially from the atmosphere. Accordingly, by fully closing or regulating the opening of the valve 2:5, the current of air drawn through the mine shaft mayLbe effectively controlled and the rate .or velocity of ventilation correspondingly adjusted. .It should, of course, be realized that the air requirements vof a large Diesel engine are considerable and that one engine will amply satisfyv the ventilation needs. of an extensive mine shaft. Several engines may, of course, be employed for exceptionally large installations.

- In order to protect the mine from possible inconvenience or damage in the event that the duct 23. becomes obstructed, the aforementioneddepression 26 is formed in the wall of the chamber l9. This depression, by virtue of its concavity offers lesser resistance to atmospheric pressure than the remaining wall structure of the chamber. ,Accordingly, if the duct 23 becomes .ob-j structed, the air pressure within the chamber l9 will be considerably reduced by the continued operation of the engine 13, and the external atmospheric pressure upon the depressed area 26 will rupture the same, so that the entire air supply of the engine 13 will be drawn directly from the atmosphere. 1

Another form of pressure responsive means .i embodied in the invention, the samebecoming operative in the presence of abnormal pressure in the chamber l9, such as may be occasioned by the explosion of the engine l3.

This means consist of the aforementioned convexed depression 21 which is similar to .the'detionand arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. An engine actuated ventilating system, comprising in combination, a hermetically sealed chamber, an internal combustion engine positioned in said chamber, a duct connecting said chamber with the space to be ventilated, an auxiliary air inlet in said chamber communicating with the atmosphere, a control valve provided on said inlet, the entire air supply of said engine being delivered selectively through said duct or partially through said ductand partially through said air inlet, and an inwardly concaved ruptur-v able depression formed in the wall of said cham-v ber, said depression offering lesser resistance to atmospheric pressure and affording I external pressure responsive means for delivering the enthe air supply of said engine from the atmosphere upon the obstruction of said duct.

2. In combination with a coal mine shaft including an air shaft communicating with the atmosphere, an engine actuated ventilating system, comprising a hermetically sealed chamber disposed above the ground, an internal combustion engine positioned in said chamber, a duct connecting said chamber with said mine shaft at a point" remote from said air shaft, an auxiliary air inlet in said chamber communicating with the'atmosphere, a control valve provided on said inlet, a supplementary fuel supply of said engine being delivered through said duct, the entire air supply of said engine being delivered selec-' tivelythrough said duct or partially through said duct and partially through said air inlet, and an inwardly concaved, rupturable depressionformed in the wall of said chamber, said depression offering lesser resistance to atmospheric pressure and affording external pressure responsive'means for delivering the entire air supply. of said engine from the atmosphere upon'the obstruction of said duct.

3. An engine actuated ventilating system, comprising in combination, a hermetically sealed chamber, an internal combustion engine in said chamber, a duct connecting said chamber with a space to be vetilated, the entire air supply of said engine being delivered through said duct, external pressure responsive means provided on said chamber for delivering the entire air supply of said engine from the atmosphere upon ob-: struction of said duct, and internal pressure responsive means provided on said chamber forrelieving abnormal pressure therein.

4. In combination with a mine shaft communicatingwith the atmosphere, an engine actuated ventilating system comprising .a hermetically. sealed chamber disposed above the ground, an in-;

ternal combustion engine positioned in said chamber, a duct connecting said chamber with said shaft, the entire air supply and a supplemental fuel supply of said engine being delivered through said duct, external pressure responsive means provided on said chamber for delivering the entire air supply of said engine from the atmosphere upon obstruction of said duct, and internal pressure responsive means provided on said chamber for relieving abnormal pressure therein.

5. The device as defined in claim 1, together With an outwardly convexed rupturable depression formed in the wall of said chamber, said concaved depression affording. internal pressure responsive means for relieving abnormal pressure in said chamber.

6. In combination with a soft coal mine shaft including an air shaft communicating with the atmosphere, an engine actuated ventilating system, comprising a hermetically sealed chamber disposed above the ground, an internal combustion engine positioned in said chamber, a duct connecting said chamber with said mine shaft at a point remote from said air shaft, an auxiliar air inlet in said chamber communicating with the atmosphere, a control valve on said inlet, a supplementary fuel supply of said engine being drawn through said duct, the entire air supply of said engine being drawn selectively REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,742,753 Caller Jan. 1930 1,987,456 Woodward Jan. 8, 1935 2,112,101 Kliesrath Mar. 22, 1938 2,123,358 Grutzner July 12, 1938 2,152,172 Bartlett Mar. 28, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 6,1 7 Great Britain 1884 

